Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



V- UNITED S/TATES PATENT OFFICE.

VALENTINE FOGERTY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-,LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 86,520, dated February Q, 1869.

To all whom it 'mag/ concern:

Bc it known that I, VALENTINE FOGERTY, ot' Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented Improve- .ments 1n Magazine Breech-Loading Fire-Arms;

and I do hereby declare that the following, taken'in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is a description ot' myinvention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

rllhe improvements relate to that .class of breeh-loading tire-arms carrying magazines for holding` fixed ammunition,with mechanism for automatically feeding each cartridge in succession from the magazine into the barrel into position for firing.

The present invention has particular reference to the construction and arrangement of the cartridge-feeding mechanism.

t1-In most magazine-arms in which the care idges are contained within a magazine locatld within the stock the cartridges are fed forward by a spring located behind the series, though in some arms they are fed forward by reciproeation of a ratchetbar, and in others they are placed upon an endless belt', which carries them forward. In these constructions (except where a spring presses forward the the improvements.

A showsa side elevation of the gun; B, a vertical section through the magazine-tube; C, a cross-section on the line fr D, a crosssection on the line L: c. E and F represent respectively side and edge views of the cartridge slide or bar. a denotes the stock of the gun; I, the barrel; c, the metal breech-frame conneetin g the barrel and stock; d, the magazine or cartridge-holding tube, located in the stock and opening at its upper end into the frame c.

The magazine is preferably located centrally within the stock, or between the two sides thereof,'and it is wholly closed at its bottom end, but is open along its whole length on one side, or has a slit, e; and in and through this slit, and in and through a slit, g, in the stock, at the side of the barrel, slides the cartridgefeeding bar or rod j', said rod being entirely withdrawn from the magazine when the arm is to be charged with cartridges, and having nothing to do with loading, butbeingsliddown into the slit at the side of the magazine after the charging is ei'ected, and being then employed as the instrumentality for feeding the series of cartridges up toward and into the breech-frame, from whence each in succession is transferred into the breech of the gun to be tired. This cartridge-rod is a long, thin, narrow, dexible piece of metal, provided with a series ot' edge teeth, h, (which correspond in distance apart from tooth to toothto thelength ot' each cartridge and a corresponding series ot' top teeth, 1f. As the slide is pushed back into the butt it yields outwardly to permit the edge teeth to pass by the cartridge-flanges; and when pushed home each tooth 71 projects into the magazine-tube just behindacartridgeange, so that if the slide be then drawn forward it carries with itall the eartridgesin the magazine.

The groove adjacent the inagazine-tube is made in continuation of the groove adjacent to the barrel and, as these two grooves lie at an angle corresponding (or approximately so) to the angle of the butt and barrel, the slide is made iiexible, so that it inayreadily slide in and through both grooves at one and the same time. K

The metal breech-frame ismortised through, as seen atfB C I), and the upper endl otl the magazine-tube opens directly into or from the rear part ot' the mortise, as seen at B. In the upper part of the mortise slides longitudinally a breech-block, 7.', which is a long block ot' metal having side tongues, Z, which fit into grooves or ways in the sides of the mortise.

This block carries a bolt, j,which runs lengthwise through t-he bloc-k, and has at its outer end an arm, n, upon which is hung the hammer o. The bolt is made capable ot' a quarterrotation inthe block, and when the block is pressed forward against the barrel a shouldered piece or button, p, at the front of the block comes into line with or opposite a chambered i recess, q, opening laterally fromthe mortise,

so that by turning the bolt the piece p shuts over into the recess q, and thus locks the breechblock irrnlyagainst the barrel. When the breech-block is drawn back it opens the L rear end of the mortise, so as to leave an open space, into which the cartridges may be dropped and from which they can slide freely into the magazine. It is in this way that the magazine vis charged,in contradistinction to opening the magazine at the end of the butt and charging the cartridges in at the butt.

The' magazine being entirely smooth and free from obstructions, the cartridges are dropped one by one into the mortise, (the door of which is a continuation of the floor of themagazine,) and thence they slide down the tube until the magazine is illed. Then the cartridge slide or bar is slid rearward down the stock and its teeth fall behind the carfridge-dan ges, in position to feed them forward at each forward movement. of the breech-block.

At one side of the breech-block a pawl, r, is

hung, this pawl swinging loosely (vertically) on a pin, s, and when the cartridge-slide is lpushed home (after the magazine has been charged) the tooth of this pawl drops behind and engages with the rear tooth, i, of the cartridge-slide, and as the breech-block is next thrown forward this pawl draws forward the cartridgeslide, and'with such slide all tlie'cartridges into which its teeth h engage. At the next rear movementof the breech-block the `feed-bar remains stationary, with the cartridges at the side of it, but the pawl r is carried back and engages with the next tooth, i, and the next forward movementof the breechblock again carries the cartridgesv forward. At each of these forward movements the front cartridge (,with which the slide is engaged) is carried into the breech-frame, and the front part of the cartridge-slide passes forward into' its groove at the side of the barrel, and the operation of feeding the cartridges from the magazine will thus be clearly seen and understood.

The next mechanism to be described is that for transferring each forward cartridge from the magazine into the barrel.

' When the breech-block is closed against the barrel there lies at the bottom and at one side of the mortise, in line with the bottomfofthe magazine, a nger, t,'into which the last forward movement-fof .the pawl r and cartridgeslide thrust from the magazine the front cartridge. This nger is hung and swings on a pin, u, and is connected'by a link, fu, to the end of a tilting lever, fw, as seen at G and H, G showing a side view of the breech-frame and H a cross-section through the link v.

The lever'w is hung and rocks on afulcrum, w, and on each side of the fulcrnm is'a stud, y or z, the upper end of whichprojects through the side of the breech-frame into a groove, a2,

,and into the path of movement of a dog, b2,

on the side of the breechblock, said dog sliding in the groove a2 as the breech-bl ckl reciprocates in the breech-frame.

When the Vcartridge is slid into the finger (the finger being in the position shown at O) the front end of the lever is swung down, and the lever and iin ger are held in position by a v spring-tooth, c2, projecting into a notch, d2, at the rear end of the lever, as shown at G. In this position of the parts the study projects up intoithe groove a2, as seen at Gr, which shows a side view of the groove and studs.

As the breech-block is next drawn back the dog b2 strikes the Vstudy and pressesitV down, thereby tilting the lever and carrying the tinger, with the cartridge therein, up into line with the barrehand as the rear end of the lever is depressed the'spring-tooth e2 is pressed back and out from the notch d2 and slips forward into another notch, e2, and thus holds the finger in position in line with the barrel. 1f

the army has been previously fired, the rear movement of the breech-block also draws out from the barrel the exploded cartridge-shell and ejects itk from the arm, as follows:

Under thelower surface of the breech-block or of the button 17 isv fixed the shank of a til the breech-block has gone far enough back to remove the exploded shell, so that as Athe finger is thrown up it or the new cartridge which it holds strikes under the cartridge-shell and throws it from the opened breech-frame.

The upward movement of the finger brings f the newcartridge into line with the barrel, and

the finger is held in itsippsition by the presencev of the spring-tooth cZ in the notch e2. As the breech-block is next thrown forward it strikes- 'i the cartridgehead and drives the cartridge before it, and when the front end of the cartridge has suflicient-ly enteredv the barrel the dog b? strikes the front stud, 2, and thereby throws down the frontend of the lever, which movement of theY lever throws lthe cartridgeholding finger down againv into .line with the magazine in position for receiving the next cartridge, which is carried by the continued forward movement of the breech-block from the magazine on the 1in ger, as before described. As the breech-block closes against the barrel it drives the cartridge ahead of it, and, the barrel being thusfloaded, the bolt j is turned, and

the breech is thereby locked in position, as bef fore described.

To hold the cartridge securely when the finger rises, the finger is made with a hinged jaw, g2, which jaw has a tail-piece, h2, to which the linke is jointed, as seen at H. When the finger finger rises, the linger is made with a hinged jaw, g2, which jaw has a tail-piece, h2, to which the link v is jointed, as seen at H. When the finger is thrown down the link o is drawn under the finger andspreads open the finger. A spring, il, bears against this tail-piece, and as Y the cartridge-finger rises the spring closes the ing the bolt to lock andunlock the ybreechblock. When in upright position it is thrown away from the percussion pin k2, or halfcocked, by a tooth, l2; but when thrown round to lock the breech this toothv slips into a notch, m2, and thus lets the hammer in against the pin, or so that when the hammer is cocked Vits release will canse it to drive the pin forward against the cartridge-head and to explode the cartridge.

As has been before observed, the cartridges Y are charged into the magazine-tube through the breech-frame, during which y charging the cartridge-slide is withdrawn from the tube, or from its slot at the side of the tube, the slide being pressed back, that its teeth may engage with and feed forward the cartridges after the magazine is thus charged. This arrangement may be modified, however, by the employment of a coiled spring in connection with the slide instead of the teeth upon the slide, the spring heilig in the rear of the cartridges and connected to the slide,- and acting, by its expansion, to feed the `cartridges forward at each forward movement of the spring, the magazine bein g prepared for charging by forcing back the spring by means of the slide, so that the cartridges may be dropped in through the breech-frame; or the slide may be made free from the cartridge-feeding teeth and with only one projection near its rear end, this projection feeding the Whole line of cartridges, Y they abutting each against the one in rear of it.

The slidemay also be made with joints; but the construction shown is preferred. rllhe slide may also be made to feed down the cartridges byreciprocatingit, or may be so arranged that the magazine can be lled when the slide is beside it, the slide being forced back into its groove as or while' the cartridges enter the magazineC and springing out into engagement with them when the magazine is loaded.

The arm may be used as a single-loader when no cartridges are in the magazine by simply dropping the cartridge upon the 1in ger, without tipping the arm, to permit the cartridgeto slide into the magazine; or a stop may be 'inserted to prevent descent of cartridge into magazine.

The arm may also be used as a single-loade when the magazine is charged by leaving the feed-bar i-n its groove at the side of the barrel, or by pressing it down into the slot at side of magazine so far that the pawl will reciprocate without engaging with' the upper tooth of the slide. p

In magazine-arm'scarryin gcartridges in line, each resting against the one in advance or in rear of it, the cartridges are liable to be exploded in bringing the butt of the arm to the ground,as in order arms.77 To obviate this` difliculty, there may be placed between the butt-plate and the stock a rubber cushion, n2, against which the percussive force of the blow is expended Vwhen the butt strikes the ground, the arm being held vertically, violent contact or pressure against any cartridge-head being thus prevented.y

I claiml.` In combination with a sliding breechblock, a magazine-tube openin g into thebreechframe in such manner that it may be charged` or filled with cartridges through the top of such frame, substantially as described.

2. I also claim combining with the maga.- zine charged through the breech-frame a feeding slide or bar, which is removed in charging the magazine-tube, and is slid by and engages with the cartridges (so that it can feed them forward) after the magazine is charged, substantially as described. l

- 3. I also' claim, in combination with the cartridge-containing magazine, a feeding device located at the side of the magazine and working through a slot in the magazine, substantially as described. y

4. I also claim constructing the feed slide or bar with teeth h, for engaging with the cartridges and with teeth t', acted upon by a feed-pawl connected with the reciprocating breech-block, substantially as described.

VALENTINE FOGERTY. 

